Gas sensor test and calibration system

Abstract

A system for testing and calibrating gas sensors with gas stored in a strip of packets. The strip may be fed into a chamber having a defined volume of air. A packet may be punctured with a mechanism to release one or more gases into the volume of air to result in an air-gas mixture. New air may be moved into the chamber to push the mixture out of the chamber to a sensor for testing and/or calibration. Then another packet may be punctured to release one or more gases into the volume of new air in the chamber for another air-gas mixture. This mixture may be moved out of the chamber, in the same manner as the previous mixture, to another sensor for testing and/or calibration. This procedure may be repeated with additional packets on the strip.

1. A test and calibration system comprising:
 a housing comprising:
 a chamber; 
 a plurality of gas-filled packets; and 
 an opener for releasing gas from a packet of the plurality of gas-filled packets, into the chamber; and 
 
 wherein: 
 the plurality of gas-filled packets is attached to a strip that goes into the chamber; and 
 the strip is in a form of a roll on a spool which is fed into the chamber. 
 
   
   
     2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the chamber has a fixed amount of air; 
 the packet has a fixed amount of gas; and 
 the fixed amounts of gas and air become an air-gas mixture having a determined ratio of gas to air; and 
 the determined ratio of gas to air is for testing and/or calibrating one or more sensors. 
 
   
   
     3. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising an air mover connected to the input port. 
   
   
     4. The system of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the air mover provides air into the chamber; and 
 a releasing of gas from a packet provides gas to be mixed with the air in the chamber as an air-gas mixture. 
 
   
   
     5. The system of  claim 4 , wherein a gas sensor is tested with the air-gas mixture from the chamber. 
   
   
     6. The system of  claim 5 , wherein a testing of one or more gas sensors is on a one-to-one basis relative to each releasing of gas from a gas-filled packet of the plurality of gas-filled packets. 
   
   
     7. A method for testing sensors comprising:
 providing a plurality of blister packs wherein each blister pack contains one or more gases; 
 releasing the one or more gases from a blister pack in a chamber having air resulting in an air-gas mixture in the chamber; and 
 moving the air-gas mixture from the chamber to a sensor for testing and/or calibration of the sensor; and 
 wherein: 
 the plurality of blister packs is on a strip feed-able into the chamber; and 
 the strip is in a form of a roll on a spool which is fed into the chamber. 
 
   
   
     8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the releasing of one or more gases of specific amounts from a blister pack and a mixing of the one or more gases with a specific amount of air provides an air-gas mixture sufficient for testing and/or calibration of one sensor. 
   
   
     9. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the releasing of one or more gases is effected by a mechanism which punctures a blister pack. 
   
   
     10. The method of  claim 7 , wherein one or more sensors are tested per releasing the one or more gases from a blister pack. 
   
   
     11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein:
 the releasing of one or more gases from N blister packs individually into N first quantities of air is for tests and/or calibrations of N sensors; and 
 N is a positive integer. 
 
   
   
     12. A system for test and calibration comprising:
 a plurality of packages containing one or more gases; 
 a chamber having a defined volume; and 
 a mechanism for releasing a defined amount of one or more gases from a package of the plurality of packages into the defined volume; and 
 wherein: 
 the chamber has an output port for providing an air-gas mixture; 
 the plurality of packages is situated on a strip which is fed into the chamber to the mechanism for a releasing of the defined amount of one or more gases from a package; and 
 the strip is in a form of a roll on a spool which is fed into the chamber. 
 
   
   
     13. The system of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 an air mover connected to an input port of the chamber; and 
 wherein the air mover provides a volume of air approximately equivalent to the defined volume for mixture with the defined amount of one or more gases released from a package of the plurality of packages to result in an air-gas mixture. 
 
   
   
     14. The system of  claim 13 , wherein the air-gas mixture is for testing and/or calibrating at least one gas sensor. 
   
   
     15. The system of  claim 14 , wherein each air-gas mixture includes one package of one or more gases and the air in the chamber. 
   
   
     16. The system of  claim 15 , wherein each package is a blister pack which has an aluminum base with aluminum or an aluminized polymer formed like a bubble, including space for the one or more gases, having a border sealed to the aluminum base.